These Yoga Moves Will Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Whatever your experience of quarantine is, no doubt there have been times where stress and anxiety have crept in. It's a lot for us all to process and while we are built to grow and adjust, that doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to look after your body and mind as well as you can.

This yoga session from Lia Carr is a truly lovely way to stretch out your muscles and can help you in so many other ways too. "Yoga is becoming increasingly common as an adjunct therapy to improve quality of life for many individuals", says Lia. "The benefits of yoga comes in many forms but sometimes a quick 15 minutes on your mat is enough to give you that sense of calm that you may need."

Lia's practice below provides tools for you to combat the feeling of being overwhelmed through calming the central nervous system. "We do this through breathing mainly," Lia says, "but also the gentle movement outlined in this yoga practice can really help.

"These poses are ones which ignite our parasympathetic nervous system, our rest and digest, which can take us out of that flight or fight mode. They are some of my favourite yoga poses and ones I frequently come back to when feeling overstimulated."

Lia also advises, "After a yoga practice, you need to give the body and your nervous system time to assimilate these changes. So don’t skip savasana.

"Finding the time to practice yoga just a few times per week may be enough to make a noticeable difference when it comes to your health and overall wellbeing.

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"I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if you try this practice."

You can also join Lia's weekly yoga and meditation classes on Zoom. Yoga is at 7 pm on Monday evenings while she also does a free mediation class at 9.30 am on Saturdays. You can contact Lia for more information at [email protected]